Ive had a BBA problem in my 110g tank for ages now. I cant keep it down. I have finally started to colonize the surface of the tank with water sprite, but it will be probably a year or more before its thick enough to out compete the algae. I have in the past used API Algaefix but it makes my fish look like I scolded them. They clamp their fins and dont move much for a couple days. Adding an air stone helps, a little bit.

I need an alternative to the API stuff, to slow its growth or stop it without hurting my fish. I would just let it grow but I dont want my NEW plants covered in the stuff. They are new because we threw out all the old BBA covered stuff.

any ideas short term?

chucklesdead

02-28-2012 11:18 AM

shrimp are great for it and a good snack for your other fish, i would go to the lfs and pick up 30+ shrimp i am able to get them 10 for a dollar. throw em in and they clean it, that is if you have fish that will eat shrimp. if not get a smaller amount.
or useing Seachem Excel on the area's affected by it

Byron

02-28-2012 12:59 PM

There are a couple fish that will eat brush algae (assuming that is what you mean by BBA), but that is really not the solution. Nor are chemicals, as you have seen, they do harm fish. Light is the sole cause of brush algae. Keep the light balanced with the available nutrients for the live plants, and you simply willnot have it as a problem. Four times I have dealt with this, and always by reducing the light. Duration usually, unless the light is too intense to start with.

By the way, Ceratopteris cornuta should cover the tank surface in a matter of a few weeks.:-) And this will help too.

Byron.

beetlebz

02-28-2012 04:58 PM

Oh oh I dont want to be chemical dependent, I just dont want the BBA to over take my tank (again) before the sprite grows in. When it comes on, it comes on FAST. The lights have been turned down to 10 hours, ill dial them back again, though. Its only a single 40 watt T12 over a 30" deep tank, so I cant really dial back the intensity at all.

thanks for the input, guys

btw, I had a bad experience once spot dosing with excel. Its how I used to handle it, until I went nuts on my 110g one day and in spot dosing, i way WAY over dosed it because I wasnt paying attention. I lost every fish :\

Byron

02-28-2012 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beetlebz
(Post 997063)

Oh oh I dont want to be chemical dependent, I just dont want the BBA to over take my tank (again) before the sprite grows in. When it comes on, it comes on FAST. The lights have been turned down to 10 hours, ill dial them back again, though. Its only a single 40 watt T12 over a 30" deep tank, so I cant really dial back the intensity at all.

thanks for the input, guys

btw, I had a bad experience once spot dosing with excel. Its how I used to handle it, until I went nuts on my 110g one day and in spot dosing, i way WAY over dosed it because I wasnt paying attention. I lost every fish :\

That is one reason I never recommend Excel as just a carbon supplement.

I have my lights on for 8+ hours now. I have found that brush algae will suddenly appear in the summer, and last year I figured out this was due solely to the additional ambient light in the room from longer days and brighter sunlight. I have my tanks in a fishroom, so I was able to cover the windows heavily all summer. For the first year, no brush algae. It is simply light, because it will find nutrients if light is present.